Cocadas and coconut sweets

Traditional food products are recognized for their flavor and authenticity given by their locality of origin. In Colombia, the production of traditional products is mainly carried out by small and medium entrepreneurs, who generally do not have standardized processes, not complying with the regulations in force for this type of product. However, it is within the government's plans to preserve these products that symbolize the culture of the population. On the Colombian Caribbean coast, you can find a wide variety of popular products such as cocadas. Cocadas are one of the most recognized traditional sweets from the Colombian Caribbean. For example, in the city of Cartagena de Indias, it represents a desired traditional food by tourists and residents. In this chapter, we focus on the study of cocadas as a food matrix by analyzing the content of panela as an ingredient in its texture, physicochemical, thermophysical, and sensory properties.